Asheville Yacht Club — Restaurant in Asheville

My partner and I went here for a drink while visiting Asheville and it would have been a great spot if both of us were white. The bar itself wasn't unwelcoming; service was friendly, drinks were cheap, music was great, and it is a perfect little dive bar with the classic shot&High Life drink special. However, while my partner and I were outside enjoying our drinks, another patron made a damning remark about race that really made me and my boyfriend feel unsafe. The details are below for more context.

A guy stood directly in front of us, while my partner and I were drinking and people watching, and became inappropriately confrontational when we simply asked him to move aside to not block the view. He eventually acquiesced once we explained that we just were asking him to step over a few inches, but after he stepped away he very intentionally stood in front of us- again- when he returned. My partner, a bit frustrated at this point, repeated our request and the man became unnecessarily aggressive. I, again, tried to explain we weren't asking him to do anything unreasonable, but he was refusing to just move over a bit and went so far as to tell my partner, "as you can see dude, you're outnumbered here." It was pretty clear he was making a reference to my partner being the only black man in the bar, but I wasn't sure if he was noting he had just his friend or the bar's support against my partner for his race. This guy did later try to say sorry to me when my partner stepped away, but never tried to clarify or apologize to my partner. In fact, he seemed to dig in by glaring at us when he left. It was very scary and I really thought we were safe being in a seemingly progressive college...

My license was checked and taken by the door guy who told me I would get it back when I left. Two drinks later and we went to leave, he denied ever taking it and refused to even talk or help. We should have called the police then. My girlfriend complained which led to the shady apparent owner "Billy Velvet" harassing her with several condescending and rude emails, without ever attempting to solve the situation or take our claim seriously. We informed Billy we were driving cross country that day (without one of our licenses) and he continued to harass her with emails telling her to call him although it was clear through his nasty language that he had zero interest in helping us. Horrible and extremely unprofessional management! Anytime a customer reports stolen property, especially something with personal and delicate imformation, it MUST be taken seriously. This bar and the people it's run by...

The experience at this establishment was marred by the aggressive behavior of the heavyer-set, long dark haired bartender. I ordered a single drink to accompany a friend, but my boyfriend didn’t. He refrains from alcohol due to his family history, and was met with hostility and judgment (including dirty look and exasperated body language) for not ordering a drink. Because of this, I didn’t tip. The bartender's demeanor, including throwing the check and demanding a tip, was unacceptable and left me feeling unsafe. While I recognize tipping as customary, it should not be coerced through confrontational behavior. Overall, the atmosphere was aggressive and unwelcoming, and I would not recommend this place, especially for female patrons or anyone looking for a safe, welcoming...